LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, 

_ 

r Shelf .,._-_.'. J.. 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 






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Blessefc are tfoe^ tbat flDourn" 



THOUGHTS FROM THE HOLY BIBLE 

ON THE 

STATE OF THE BLESSED DEAD 



WITH BRIEF NOTES BY 

EDITH R. ' CROSBY 



To which is added a short address on the Future 

Life, delivered by the Rev. Howard Crosby 

shortly before his death 



NEW YORK 
JAMES POTT & CO., PUBLISHERS 

• 1892 



MAR 18 J8S2 I 






\Z*4 



Copyright 

JAMES POTT & CO. 

1892 

k 



of Congress 



WASHINGTON 

' mn i m — 



TROW DIRECTORY 

PRINTING AND BOOKB.ND.NG COMPANY 

NEW YORK 



IN MEMORY OF MY DEAR FATHER 

HOWARD CROSBY 

I HAVE COLLECTED THESE WORDS OF COMFORT FROM 

THE BOOK WHICH WAS THE SOURCE OF HIS 

NOBLE AND UNFALTERING FAITH 

E. R. C. 



PREFACE. 



When we, Christians, are walking in the sun- 
shine of prosperity we are apt to forget that we 
need any other light. It is so easy then to see 
the way with our own eyes, and to understand the 
reason why with our own intellects. But when the 
darkness of sorrow envelops us, blinding our eyes 
with tears, and clouding our minds with doubts, 
then we long to be treated as little children, to be 
led by the hand by someone who sees better than 
we see, and to be told what to believe by some one 
who knows better than we know. We want facts 
to rest upon, promises to cling to. We fear when 
we enter into the cloud, and we want to hear the 
voice coming out of the cloud saying, " This is my 
beloved Son, hear Him." In such hours, when all 
other light has utterly failed us, if we cannot make 
God's Word a lamp unto our feet we must walk in 
horrible darkness. 

But God has promised that His presence, which 
may have been but a scarcely noticed cloud in the 
daytime, shall be to us a pillar of fire by night, to 



6 Preface. 

search us out a place to pitch our tents in. And our 
Lord has said: " He that followeth Me shall not 
walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." 

In straining our limited human capacities to solve 
the great mystery of death, and to follow those we 
love beyond the veil, God has not promised to help 
us to clear vision, we must walk by faith and not 
by sight — but He has promised to keep our feet 
from falling, and to comfort those who mourn, 
1 ' as one whom his mother comf orteth." When our 
saints are received up into Heaven "out of our 
sight," it is impossible for God to reveal to us the 
full glory which they enjoy, our finite minds could 
not grasp it ; we must be content with hints and 
suggestions, instead of details. 

On one point the Bible is emphatically explicit, 
reiterating it, as we shall see, under every variety 
of form ; they are with Christy in His glory. 

Besides this, which, however, in its fulness in- 
cludes all happiness, we can only catch glimpses, 
faint, often, but very precious to the sad heart in 
its longing. And I have collected and combined 
in the following pages those words of Holy Script- 
ure which have most helped me "in time of need," 
that they may also comfort other mourners. 

There are a few suggestions, too detached to put 
into the body of the text, which I would call at- 
tention to here. 



Preface. 7 

David says of his dead baby : l ' I shall go to 
him," giving us hope of the continuation of home 
affections. Our Lord says to Martha: " Thy 
brother shall rise again," using the name of earthly 
relationship, even in connection with the resurrec- 
tion. St. Paul speaks of lt the whole family in 
Heaven and earth," giving us a close sense of com- 
panionship and union with those in Heaven ; and 
of the " cloud of witnesses" who watch our race, 
among whom it is a reasonable hope to imagine 
those who have loved us here, and who have now 
won their prize. 

I would also like to mention the examples of 
two mourners which have seemed to me very help- 
ful. 

In St. Matthew xiv. 13 and 14 we are told what 
Jesus did when He was told of the death of John the 
Baptist, a man undoubtedly dear to him. First, 
He went into a desert place apart, which, with 
Him, always meant to pray. Then He went forth 
among the multitude, with His heart full of com- 
passion for them, and began to heal them. Should 
we not do the same ? First, pray, that is, take 
our thoughts out of ourselves by raising them to 
God; then do good — that is, keep our grief from 
becoming" selfish by filling our hearts with love and 
helpfulness for others. 

In St. John xi. we have another suggestion. 



8 Preface. 

When the Jews thought that Mary had gone to weep 
at her brother's grave, she had really gone to meet 
Jesus, and it was with Him that she went to the 
grave. Let us never go to the graves of our loved 
ones without taking Jesus with us, for He alone 
can make us realize that the grave has not gotten 
the victory. 



NOTE. 



I have not given the references for the follow- 
ing collection of verses, first, because it would 
break any attempt at continuity ; secondly, because 
it may give the verses a little freshness to see 
them quite apart from any hint of their usual con- 
text ; and thirdly, because it may prove a slight 
source of interest at a time when it is hard to find 
any, if those who are reading should be incited to 
take up their Bible and Concordance and look up 
the texts for themselves. 

I have transposed and changed the order of some 
of the verses, in order to emphasize some point 
more strongly, but I have been careful never to do 
so if the transposition could in any way alter or 
falsify their original meaning. 

I have also omitted all mention of the condem- 
natory side of the resurrection, not because it is 
not equally important, but because it does not 
come within the purpose of this book, which is to 
comfort those mourners whose dead have died in 
the Lord. 

The Revised Version has been used only where 
it makes the passage much more clear. 



THE PHILOSOPHY OF LOSS AND SUF- 
FERING. 



Blessed are they that mourn : for they shall be 
comforted. 

God is love. He doth not afflict willingly nor 
grieve the children of men. Wherefore let them 
that suffer according to the will of God commit the 
keeping of their souls to Him in well-doing, as 
unto a faithful Creator. Like as a father pitieth 
his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear 
Him. But we see Jesus, who was made a little 
lower than the angels, because of the suffering of 
death, crowned with glory and honour, that by the 
grace of God He should taste death for every man. 
For it became Him, for whom are all things, and by 
whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto 
glory, to make the Captain of their Salvation per- 
fect through sufferings. For both He that sancti- 
fieth and they who are sanctified are all of one. 
For this is the will of God, even your sanctification. 
If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as 



12 "Blessed are They that Mourn" 

with, sons ; for whom the Lord loveth He chasten- 
eth, and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth. 
Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be 
joyous, but grievous : nevertheless afterward it 
yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto 
them which are exercised thereby ; for godly sor- 
row worketh repentance to salvation not to be re- 
pented of. 

Beloved, now are we the Sons of God. And if 
children, then heirs ; heirs of God, and joint-heirs 
with Christ ; if so be we suffer with Him, that we 
may be also glorified together. Though He were a 
Son, yet learned He obedience by the things which 
He suffered ; and being made perfect, He became 
the Author of eternal salvation unto all them that 
obey Him. Forasmuch then as the children are 
partakers of flesh and blood, He also Himself like- 
wise took part of the same ; that through death He 
might destroy him that had the power of death, 
that is, the devil ; and deliver them who through 
fear of death were all their lifetime subject to 
bondage. 

Beloved, think it not strange concerning the 
fiery trial which is to try you, as though some 
strange thing happened unto you : but rejoice, in- 
asmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings ; 
that, when His glory shall be revealed, ye may be 
glad also with exceeding joy. For I reckon that 



"Blessed are They that Mourn" 13 

the sufferings of this present time are not worthy 
to be compared with the glory which shall be re- 
vealed in us. For our light affliction, which is but 
for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding 
and eternal weight of glory. 

Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord 
Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and God of all 
comfort ; who comforteth us in all our tribulation, 
that we may be able to comfort them which are in 
any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves 
are comforted of God. 

Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of 
grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to 
help in time of need. 



14 " Blessed are They that Mourn. 



j j 



THE TESTIMONY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT. 



"I will come 
again, and receive 
you unto myself." 

H . s body was 
not gathered to his 
people. Eeunion 
of souls promised? 



"Him will I 
make a pillar in 
the temple of my 
God, and he snail 
no more go out." 



Enoch, walked with. God : and 
he was not ; for God took him. 

Thou (Moses) also shalt be 
gathered unto thy people, as 
Aaron thy brother was gathered. 

I shall go to him, but he shall 
not return to me. 

Then shall the dust return to 
the earth as it was : and the spirit 
shall return unto God who gave 
it. 

The righteous perisheth, and no 
man layeth it to heart : and mer- 
ciful men are taken away, none 
considering that the righteous is 
taken away from that which is 
evil. Precious in the sight of the 
Lord is the death of His saints. 
Let me die the death of the right- 
eous, and let my last end be like 
his ! Mark the perfect man, and 
behold the upright : for the end 
of that man is peace. The right- 
eous is an everlasting foundation. 



" Blessed are They that Mourn" 15 



The righteous hath hope in his 
death. He shall enter into peace. 
The path of the just is as the 
shining light, that shine th more 
and more unto the perfect day. 
In the way of righteousness is 
life ; and in the pathway thereof 
there is no death. The way of 
life is above to the wise. The 
wise shall inherit glory. And 
they that be wise shall shine as 
the brightness of the firmament ; 
and they that turn many to right- 
eousness as the stars forever and 
ever. 

Thou hast ascended on high, 
thou hast led captivity captive : 
thou hast received gifts among 
men, yea, among the rebellious 
also, that the Lord God might 
dwell with them. God is unto 
us a God of deliverances ; and 
unto Jehovah the Lord belong 
the issues from death. Thou 
shalt guide me with Thy counsel, 
and afterward receive me to 
glory. Whom have I in Heaven 
but Thee ? and there is none upon 



"In hope of 
eternal life." 



"Is passed from 
death unto life." 

" Shall not see 
death." 



"The glory 
which Thou gav- 
est me I have giv- 
en them." 



"I will give him 
the morning-star." 



" I have the keys 
of hell and of 
death." 



" Eeceive you 
unto myself." 



16 " Blessed are They that Mourn" 



The "rest" and 
"sleep" spoken of 
so often in con- 
nection with death 
in the Bible is of 
the flesh, the body. 



" The pure in 
heart shall see 
God." 



Again personal 
reception provid- 
ed. 



earth, tliat I desire beside Thee. 
My flesh and my heart faileth : 
but God is the strength of my 
heart, and my portion forever. 
My heart is glad, and my glory 
rejoiceth : my flesh also shall 
rest in hope. For Thou wilt not 
leave my soul in hell ; neither 
wilt Thou suffer Thy Holy One to 
see corruption. Thou wilt shew 
me the path of life : in Thy pres- 
ence is fulness of joy ; at Thy 
right hand there are pleasures 
forevermore. I shall be satisfied, 
when I awake, with Thy likeness. 
I will behold Thy face in right- 
eousness. I know that my Re- 
deemer liveth, and that He shall 
stand up at the last upon the 
earth : and after my skin hath 
been thus destroyed, yet from my 
flesh shall I see God: whom I 
shall see for myself, and mine 
eyes shall behold, and not an- 
other. God will redeem my soul 
from the power of the grave : for 
He shall receive me. Thy dead 
men shall live, together with 



" Blessed are They that 31ourn." 17 



my dead body shall they arise. 
Awake and sing, ye that dwell in 
the dust: for thy dew is as the 
dew of herbs, and the earth shall 
cast out the dead. 

Thine eyes shall see the King 
in his beauty : they shall behold 
a far - stretching land. Thine 
eyes shall see Jerusalem a quiet 
habitation, a tent that shall not 
be removed, the stakes whereof 
shall never be plucked up, 
neither shall any of the cords 
thereof be broken. But there 
the Lord will be with us in 
majesty. 

And the inhabitant shall not 
say, I am sick : the people that 
dwell therein shall be forgiven 
their iniquity. The redeemed 
shall walk there : and the ran- 
somed of the Lord shall return, 
and come to Zion with songs and 
everlasting joy upon their heads ; 
thev shall obtain iov and alad- 
ness, and sorrow and sighing 
shall flee away. 

The Saints of the Most Hish 



"Except a corn 
of wheat fall into 
the ground and 
die, it abideth 
alone." 

Satisfaction of 
what are now aes- 
thetic ideals in 
animate and in- 
animate nature. 



" A house not 
made with hands, 
eternal in the heav- 
ens." 



Bodily and spir- 
itual health. 



18 " Blessed are They that Mourn" 



"Ruler over 
many things." 



"And the foun- 
dations of the wall 
of the city were 
garnished with all 
manner of pre- 
cious stones." 



shall take the Kingdom, and pos- 
sess the Kingdom forever, even 
for ever and ever. And they 
shall be mine, saith the Lord of 
Hosts, in that day when I make 
up my jewels. I will ransom 
them from the power of the 
grave ; I will redeem them from 
death : death, I will be thy 
plagues ! O grave, I will be thy 
destruction ! 

He will swallow up death in 
victory ; and the Lord God will 
wipe away tears from off all faces. 



The Redeemers Promise. 



Immediate en- 
trance to Paradise 
with Jesus. 



To-day shalt thou be with me in 
Paradise. 



Sovereignty. 



Continued and 
increasing activity 
combined with 
power. 



His Welcome. 

Come, ye blessed of my Father, 
inherit the Kingdom prepared for 
you from the foundation of the 
world. 

Well done, thou good and faith- 
ful servant : thou hast been faith- 
ful over a few things, I will make 



"Blessed are They that Mourn" 19 



thee ruler over many things : en- 
ter thou into the joy of thy lord. 

What Jesus says about Death and the 
Resurrection. 

I say unto you, my friends. Be 
not afraid of them that kill the • 
body, and after that have no 
more that they can do. Are not 
five sparrows sold for two far- 
things, and not one of them is 
forgotten before God ? But even 
the very hairs of your head are 
all numbered. Fear not there- 
fore : ye are of more value than 
many sparrows. Also I say unto 
you, Whosoever shall confess Me 
before men, him shall the Son of 
man also confess before the an- 
gels of God. 

Fear not, little flock ; for it is 
your Father's good pleasure to 
give you the Kingdom. They 
which shall be accounted worthy 
to obtain that world, and the res- 
urrection from the dead, neither 
marry nor are given in marriage : 
neither can they die any more : 



Introduction. 
"Not as a stran- 
ger." 



Sovereignty 
again. 



20 "Blessed are They that Mourn" 



Equality with 
angels. 



The transition 
from the mortal to 
the immortal life 
may take place be- 
f ore phy si cal 
death, by faith. 
So that when 
death comes it can 
have no power 
over the " Ego," 
which is passed 
from death unto 
life. 



Full acquittal. 



for they are equal unto the an- 
gels ; and are the children of God, 
being the children of the resur- 
rection. As touching the resur- 
rection of the dead, have ve net 
read that which was spoken unto 
you by God, saying, I am the God 
of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, 
and the God of Jacob ? God is 
not the God of the dead, but of 
the living. Verily, verily, I say 
unto you, He that heareth my 
word, and believeth on Him that 
sent Me, hath everlasting life, 
and shall not come into condem- 
nation, but is passed from death 
unto life. If a man keep my 
sayings he shall never see death. 
Verily, verily, I say unto you, 
The hour is coming, and now 
is, when the dead shall hear the 
voice of the Son of God : and they 
that hear shall live. The hour is 
coming, in the which all that are 
in the graves shall hear His 
voice, and shall come forth. And 
this is the Father's will which 
hath sent Me. that of all which 



"Blessed are They that Mourn." 21 



He hatli given Me I should lose 
nothing, but should raise it up 
again at the last day. And this is 
the will of Him that sent Me, 
that every one which seeth the 
Son, and believeth on Him, may 
have everlasting life : and I will 
raise him up at the last day. 

Verily, verily, I say unto you, 
Except a corn of wheat fall into 
the ground and die, it abideth 
alone : but if it die, it bringeth 
forth much fruit. He that loveth 
his life shall lose it ; and he that 
hateth his life in this world shall 
keep it unto life eternal. If any 
man serve Me, let him follow 
Me ; and where I am, there shall 
also my servant be. My sheep 
hear my voice, and I know them, 
and they follow Me : and I give 
unto them eternal life ; and thev 
shall never perish, neither shall 
any man pluck them out of my 
hand. I am come that they 
might have life, and that they 
might have it more abundantly. 

Let not your heart be troubled : 



Fruitfulness. 



With Jesus. 



Absolute safety. 



More 
life. 



abundaut 



22 " Blessed are Tfiey that Mourn" 



A promise of a 
ho Trie, especially 
prepared by 
Christ. He comes 
to receive us as we 
cross its thresh- 
old. See Exodus 
xxiii. 20. 



Again with Je- 
sus. 



Continued, not 
interrupted, Life. 



We go, with Je- 
sus, to the Father. 



Seeing and shar- 
ing His glory. 



A promise of 
perfection. 



ye believe in God, believe also in 
Me. In my Father's house are 
many mansions : if it were not so, 
I would have told you. I go to 
prepare a place for you. And if I 
go and prepare a place for you, I 
will come again and receive you 
unto myself ; that where I am, 
there ye may be also. Let not 
your heart be troubled, neither 
let it be afraid. I am the Resur- 
rection, and the Life : he that be- 
lieveth on Me, though he were 
dead, yet shall he live : and who- 
soever liveth and believeth on Me 
shall never die. Because I live, 
ye shall live also. 

If ye loved Me, ye would re- 
joice, because I said, I go unto the 
Father. Father, I will that they 
also, whom Thou hast given Me, 
be with Me where I am ; that they 
may behold my glory. And the 
glory which Thou gavest Me I 
have given them ; that they may 
be one, even as We are one : I in 
them, and Thou in Me, that they 
may be made perfect in one. 



"Blessed are They that Mourn" 23 



Our labour not 
in vain. Rest and 
fruition. 



The Testimony of the Apostles. 

I heard a voice from Heaven 
saying unto me, Write, Blessed 
are the dead which die in the Lord 
from henceforth : Yea, saith the 
Spirit, that they may rest from 
their labours ; and their works do 
follow them. There remaineth 
therefore a rest for the people of 
God. But as it is written, Eye 
hath not seen, nor ear heard, 
neither have entered into the 
heart of man, the things which 
God hath prepared for them that 
love Him. We know that all 
things work together for good to 
them that love God. For I am 
persuaded, that neither death, nor 
life, nor angels, nor principalities, 
nor powers, nor things present, 
nor things to come, nor height, 
nor depth, nor any other creature, 
shall be able to separate us from 
the love of God, which is in 
Christ Jesus our Lord. Whether 
we live therefore, or die, we are 
the Lord's. For to this end 



"I go to pre- 
pare." 

" The Kingdom 
prepared." 



No separation 
from God in 
death. 



24 " Blessed are They that Mourn. 



a 



"Hope of eter- 
nal life." 



"The dead shall 
hear the voice of 
the Son of God." 



A promise of re- 
union. 



Christ both died, and rose, and 
revived, that He might be Lord 
of both the dead and the living. 
Our Saviour Jesus Christ, who 
hath abolished death, and hath 
brought life and immortality to 
light. It is a faithful saying : 
For if we be dead with Him, we 
shall also live with Him : if we 
suffer, we shall also reign with 
Him. 

I would not have you to be ig- 
norant, brethren, concerning them 
which are asleep, that ye sorrow 
not, even as others which have 
no hope. For if we believe that 
Jesus died and rose again, even 
so them also which sleep in Jesus 
will God bring with Him. The 
Lord Himself shall descend from 
Heaven with a shout, with the 
voice of the archangel, and 
with the trump of God : and the 
dead in Christ shall rise first : 
then we which are alive and re- 
main shall be caught up together 
with them in the clouds, to meet 
the Lord in the air : and so shall 



"Blessed are TJiey that Mourn" 25 



Our resurrection 
bodies shall be like 
Christ's. 

" A perfect man 
—the measure of 
the stature of the 
fulness of Christ." 



we ever be with the Lord. For 
our conversation is in Heaven ; 
froin whence also we look for the 
Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: 
who shall change our vile body, 
that it may be fashioned like un- 
to His glorious body, according to 
the working whereby He is able 
even to subdue all things unto 
Himself. When Christ, who is 
our Life, shall appear, then shall 
ye also appear with Him in glory. 
We know that, when He shall 
appear, we shall be like Him ; for 
we shall see Him as He is. 

Now if Christ be preached that 
He rose from the dead, how say 
some among you that there is no 
resurrection of the dead ? If in 
this life only we have hope in 
Christ, we are of all men most 
miserable. But now is Christ 
risen from the dead, and become 
the firstfruits of them that slept. 
For since by man came death, by 
man came also the resurrection 
of the dead. For as in Adam 
all die, even so in Christ shall all 



"I shall be satis- 
fied, when I awake, 
with Thy like- 
ness." 

"See the King 
in His beauty." 



26 "Blessed are TJiey that Mourn." 



Each shall re- 
ceive an individu- 
al body, and one 
which expresses 



him, 
body:' 



his 



own 



be made alive. The last enemy 
that shall be destroyed is death. 

But some man will say, How 
are the dead raised up ? And 
with what body do they come ? 
Thou fool, that which thou sowest 
is not quickened, except it die : 
and that which thou sowest, thou 
sowest not that body that shall 
be, but bare grain, it may chance 
of wheat, or of some other grain : 
but God giveth it a body as it 
hath pleased Him, and to every 
seed his own body. So also is 
the resurrection of the dead. It 
is sown in corruption ; it is raised 
in incorruption : it is sown in dis- 
honour ; it is raised in glory : it 
is sown in weakness ; it is raised 
in power : it is sown a natural 
body ; it is raised a spiritual body. 
As we have borne the image of 
the earthy, we shall also bear the 
image of the heavenly. For this 
corruptible must put on incorrup- 
tion, and this mortal must put on 
immortality. For we know that 
if our earthlv house of this tab- 



(C 



Blessed are They that Mourn" 27 



ernacle were dissolved, we have 
a building of God, an house not 
made with hands, eternal in the 
Heavens. For in this we groan, 
earnestly desiring to be clothed 
upon with our house which is 
from Heaven : not for that we 
would be unclothed, but clothed 
upon, that mortality might be 
swallowed up of life. But though 
our outward man perish, our in- 
ward man is renewed day by 
day. While we look not at the 
things which are seen, but at the 
things which are not seen : for 
the things which are seen are 
temporal ; but the things which 
are not seen are eternal. Xow He 
that hath wrought us for the self- 
same thing is God, who also hath 
given unto us the earnest of the 
Spirit. Therefore we are always 
of good courage, knowing that, 
whilst we are at home in the 
body, we are absent from the 
Lord. We are of good courage, I 
say, and are willing rather to be 
absent from the bodv, and to be 



"Many man- 



sions. 



n 



Death is not a 
taking off, but a 
putting on. 



"Until Christ be 
formed in you." 



"Looking unto 
Jesus." 



"Christ in you, 
the hope of glory." 



While the mor- 
tal is diminishing 
the immortal is in- 
creasing " day by 
day,"— when it be- 
comes perfect, the 
scaffolding can be 
taken away. 



28 "Blessed are They that Mourn. 



j? 



To die is to be at 
once with Christ ; 
and to be with 
Him is to be at 
home. 



at liome with, the Lord. For to 
me to live is Christ, and to die is 
gain ; for I am in a strait betwixt 
two, having a desire to depart, 
and to be with Christ ; which is 
far better. So when this cor- 
ruptible shall have put on incor- 
ruption, and this mortal shall 
have put on immortality, then 
shall be brought to pass the say- 
ing that is written, Death is swal- 
lowed up in victory. O death, 
where is thy sting ? O grave, 
where is thy victory ? Thanks 
be to God, which giveth us the 
victory through our Lord Jesus 
Christ. 

And this is the victory that 
overcometh the world, even our 
faith. Now faith is the substance 
of things hoped for, the evidence 
of things not seen. For by it the 
elders obtained a good report. 
These all died in faith, not hav- 
ing received the promises, but 
having seen them afar off, and 
were persuaded of them, and em- 
braced them, and confessed that 



" Blessed are They that Mourn" 29 



A Heavenly 
Country. 



they were strangers and pilgrims 
on earth. For they that say such 
things declare plainly that they 
seek a country. And truly, if they 
had been mindful of that country 
from whence they came out, they 
might have had opportunity to 
have returned. But now they de- 
sire a better country, that is, an 
heavenly : wherefore God is not 
ashamed to be called their God : 
for He hath prepared for them a 
city. For here we have no abid- 
ing city, but we seek one to come. 

Ye are come unto Mount Zion, 
and unto the city of the living 
God, the Heavenly Jerusalem, 
and to an innumerable company 
of angels, to the general assembly 
and church of the first - born, 
which are written in Heaven, and 
to God the Judge of all, and to 
the spirits of just men made per- 
fect, and to Jesus the Mediator 
of the new covenant. 

Blessed be the God and Father 
of our Lord Jesus Christ, who ac- 
cording to his great mercy begat 



A city prepared. 



The citizens and 
officers of that 
city. 



Perfection. 



30 "Blessed are They that Mourn." 



Born into a hope 
of life. 



Righteousness. 



Continuance. 



Love the key to 
immortality. 



us again unto a living "hope by the 
resurrection of Jesus Christ froin 
the dead, unto an inheritance in- 
corruptible, and undefiled, and 
that fadeth not away, reserved 
in Heaven for you, who by the 
power of God are guarded through 
faith unto a salvation ready to be 
revealed in the last time. 

Henceforth there is laid up for 
me a crown of righteousness, 
which the Lord, the righteous 
Judge, shall give me at that day : 
and not to me only, but unto all 
them also that love His appear- 
ing. 

He that doeth the will of God 
abideth forever. And this is the 
promise that he hath promised 
us, even eternal life. We know 
that we have passed from death 
unto life, because we love the 
brethren. Beloved, let us love 
one another : for love is of God ; 
and every one that loveth is born 
of God. Whether there be proph- 
ecies, they shall fail ; whether 
there be tongues, they shall cease ; 



a 



Blessed are They that Mourn" 31 



whether there be knowledge, it 
shall vanish away. For we know 
in part, and we prophesy in part. 
But when that which is perfect 
is come, then that which is in 
part shall be done away. For now 
we see through a glass, darkly ; 
but then face to face : now I know 
in part ; but then shall I know 
even as I am known. 

And now abideth faith, hope, 
love, these three ; but the great- 
est of these is love. 

Love never faileth. 



A promise of 
recognition and 
understanding. 

A promise of 
unending love for 
each other. The 
love in 1 Cor. xiii. 
is not love to God, 
but to our breth- 
ren. 



The Vision of the Future in the Revela- 
tion of St. John the Divine. 

I am He that liveth, and was 
dead ; and, behold, I am alive for- 
evermore, Amen ; and have the 
keys of hell and of death. 

Be thou faithful unto death, 
and I will give thee a crown of 
life. 

To him that overcometh will I 
give to eat of the tree of life, 
which is in the midst of the Para- 
dise of God. He that overcometh 



Immortal pow- 



er. 



Satisfaction of 
thehuman instinct 
of immortality. 



32 "Blessed are They that Mourn" 



Safety. 



Satisfaction of 
spiritual hunger. 

Individuality. 



Power. 



Jesus says : " I 
am the bright and 
morning-star." 



Covering; and 



beauty. 



A c k n o w 1 edg- 
ment. 



Stability and 
permanence. 



shall not be hurt of the second 
death. 

To him that overcometh will I 
give to eat of the hidden manna, 
and will give him a white stone, 
and in the stone a new name 
written, which no man knoweth 
saving he that receiveth it. 

He that overcometh. and keep- 
eth my works unto the end, to him 
will I give power over the nations : 
and he shall rule them with a rod 
of iron ; as the vessels of the pot- 
ter are broken to shivers : as I also 
have received of my Father : and 
I will give him the morning-star. 

He that overcometh, the same 
shall be clothed in white raiment ; 
and I will not blot out his name 
out of the book of life, but I will 
confess his name before my Fa- 
ther, and before His angels. 

Him that overcometh will I 
make a pillar in the temple of my 
God, and he shall no more go 
out : and I will write upon him 
the name of my God, and the 
name of the City of my God, 



a 



Blessed are They that Mourn" 33 



which is the New Jerusalem, 
which cometh down out of Heav- 
en from my God : and I will 
write upon him my new name. 

He that overcometh shall in- 
herit all things ; and I will be his 
God, and he shall be my son. 

To him that overcometh will I 
grant to sit with Me in my throne, 
even as I also overcame, and am 
set down with my Father in His 
throne. 

After this I beheld, and, lo, a 
great multitude, which no man 
could number, of all nations, 
and kindreds, and people, and 
tongues, stood before the throne, 
and before the Lamb, clothed 
with white robes, and palms in 
their hands ; and cried with a 
loud voice, sayings Salvation to 
our God which sitteth upon the 
throne, and unto the Lamb. And 
one of the elders answered, saying 
unto me, What are these which 
are arrayed in white robes ? and 
whence came they ? And I said 
unto him, Sir, thou knowest. 



Heavenly 
izenship. 



cit- 



Heirs of God. 



Sovereignty. 



A great 
tude. 



multi- 



34 " Blessed are They that Mourn" 



The harmony 
and joy of music, 



On the earth. 



And lie said unto me, These are 
they which came out of great trib- 
ulation, and have washed their 
robes, and made them white in 
the blood of the Lamb. There- 
fore are they before the throne 
of God, and serve Him day and 
night in His temple : and He that 
sitteth on the throne shall dwell 
among them. They shall hunger 
no more, neither thirst any more ; 
neither shall the sun light on 
them, nor any heat. For the 
Lamb, which is in the midst of 
the throne shall feed them, and 
shall lead them unto living foun- 
tains of waters : and God shall 
wipe away all tears from their 
eyes. And they sing a new song, 
saying, Thou art worthy to take 
the book, and to open the seals 
thereof : for Thou wast slain, and 
hast redeemed us to God by Thy 
blood out of everv kindred, and 
tongue, and people, and nation ; 
and hast made us unto our God 
kings and priests : and we shall 
reign on the earth. And every 



"Blessed are They that Mourn." 35 



creature which is in heaven, and 
on the earth, and under the earth, 
and such as are in the sea, and all 
that are in them, heard I saying, 
Blessing, and honour, and glory, 
and power, be unto Him that sit- 
teth upon the throne, and unto 
the Lamb for ever and ever. And 
I saw as it were a sea of glass 
mingled with fire : and them 
that had gotten the victory over 
the beast, and over his image, and 
over his mark, and over the num- 
ber of his name, stand on the sea 
of glass, having the harps of God. 
And they sing the song of Moses 
the servant of God, and the song 
of the Lamb, saying, Great and 
marvellous are Thy works, Lord 
God Almighty ; just and true are 
Thy ways, Thou King of Saints. 
And I heard as it were the voice 
of a great multitude, and as the 
voice of many waters, and as the 
voice of mighty thunderings, say- 
ing, Alleluia : for the Lord God 
Omnipotent reigneth. Let us be 
glad and rejoice, and give honour 



Music. 



86 " Blessed are They that Mourn'' 



A new earth. 
Not a vague place 
of departed spir- 
its, but something 
which resembles 
our present earth 
as our new glori- 
ous bodies will re- 
semble our pres- 
ent ones. 



to Him : for the marriage of the 
Lamb is come, and His wife hath 
made herself ready. And to her 
was granted that she should be 
arrayed in fine linen, clean and 
white : for the fine linen is the 
righteousness of Saints. And He 
saith unto me, Write, Blessed 
are they which are called unto 
the marriage supper of the Lamb. 
And I saw the dead, small and 
great, staud before God ; and the 
books were opened : and another 
book was opened, which is the 
book of life. 

And the sea gave up the dead 
which were in it ; and death and 
hell delivered up the dead which 
were in them. And death and 
hell were cast into the lake of 
fire. 

And I saw a new heaven and a 
new earth : for the first heaven 
and the first earth were passed 
away ; and there was no more 
sea. And I John saw the Holy 
City, New Jerusalem, coming 
down from God out of Heaven, 



" Blessed are They that Mourn." 37 

prepared as a bride adorned for 
her husband. And I heard a 
great voice out of Heaven saying, 
Behold, the Tabernacle of God 
is with men. and He will dwell 
with them, and they shall be His 
people, and God himself shall be 
with them, and be their God. 
And God shall wipe away all 
tears from their eyes ; and there 
shall be no more death, neither 
sorrow, nor crying, neither shall 
there be any more pain : for the 
former things are passed away. 

And the city had no need of 
the sun, neither of the moon, to 
shine in it : for the glory of God 
did lighten it, and the Lamb is 
the light thereof. And the na- 
tions of them which are saved 
shall walk in the light of it : and 
the kings of the earth do bring 
their glory and honour into it. 
And the gates of it shall not be The gates shall 
shut at all by day : for there shall 
be no night there. And they 
shall bring the glory and honour 
of the nations into it. 



38 " Blessed are They that Mourn" 



On either side. 



No more curse. 



Service for God. 



And he shewed me a pure 
river of water of life, clear as 
crystal, proceeding out of the 
throne of God and of the Lamb. 
In the midst of the street of it, 
and on either side of the river, 
was there the tree of life, which 
bare twelve manner of fruits, and 
yielded her fruit every month : 
and the leaves of the tree were 
for the healing of the nations. 
And there shall be no more curse : 
but the throne of God and of the 
Lamb shall be in it ; and His ser- 
vants shall serve Him : and they 
shall see His face ; and His name 
shall be in their foreheads. And 
there shall be no night there ; and 
they need no candle, neither 
light of the sun ; for the Lord God 
giveth them light : and they shall 
reign for ever and ever. 

Blessed are they that do His 
commandments, that they may 
have right to the tree of life, and 
may enter in through the gates 
into the city. 



" Blessed are They that Mourn" 39 



VICTOEY OVEE DEATH. 

1 Cor. xv. 54, 57. 

By Howard Crosby, D.D. 

Human power can change similar things to 
similar things ; divine power can change op- 
posite things to opposite things. Divine power 
can take a sinner steeped in sin, without a sin- 
gle mitigation of his sin, and make him a saint, 
make him holy as God is holy. And so, too, 
where to human eyes is the darkest cloud, there 
divine grace shines the brightest. The passage 
for the evening is an illustration of this. It 
is a paean of victory which all may sing with 
emphasis, if they belong to Christ, if they are in 
Him. It has a likeness to what occurred at the 
grave of Lazarus. When the body of Lazarus 
lay in the tomb, Jesus said to his sisters two 
things. A cursory reading does not show this 
double meaning, but if we carefully examine 
the statement we shall rind that Jesus speaks 
of the body, and he speaks of the man, the 
soul, life, being. " I am the resurrection 
(that is, of the body) and the life (that is, of 
the soul, the man, the being). He that be- 
lieveth in Me, though he were dead (the body's 
death), yet shall he live (the body's resurrec- 



40 "Blessed are They that Mourn." 



tion) : and whosoever liveth and believeth in 
Me, shall never die " (referring to the man, 
the soul, the life, the being). The two 
thoughts are clearly set forth. Then came the 
resurrection of Lazarus as a type or sacrament 
of the truth. It was the seal put to what the 
Lord said for His people of all time. The body 
shall rise again, the soul shall never die. 

This same double statement is found in the 
passage before us. " So when this corruptible 
shall have put on incorruption (the body and 
its resurrection), and this mortal (the body) 
shall have put on immortality, then shall be 
accomplished or completed the saying that is 
written, Death is swallowed up in victory," 
as that grand finality when the body raised 
shall be joined to the soul that never died. As 
long as the body is not raised, there is a sem- 
blance of death's victory over the dust ; when 
the body is raised, there is nothing left of 
death, not even a show. 

Nor is this all. The apostle goes on quoting 
from the Old Testament. " O death, where is 
thy sting ? O hades (not ' ' grave. " He had 
finished speaking of the grave in the verse be- 
fore). " O death, where is thy sting ? O hades 
(the lower world, the unseen world), where is 
thy victory ? " Hades has no victory over the 
soul, the man, the being. Why ? " The sting of 
death (which is the gate into the unseen world) 
is sin." That which makes men afraid of death, 



" Blessed are They that Mourn" 41 



that which makes death horrid, is sin, and sin 
brings with it the fearful looking for of judg- 
ment, the pangs of conscience, the forebodings 
of approaching retribution, for " the strength of 
sin is the law." But we in Christ have fulfilled 
the law. The righteousness demanded by the 
law is fulfilled in us who walk not after the 
flesh but after the Spirit. The law has nothing 
against us, and so sin has no strength. God 
has given us the victory through our Lord Jesus 
Christ. Through Him we get the righteous- 
ness, the precious gift from the God of our sal- 
vation ; through Him the obedience of the law 
is fulfilled in us. And so for us death is abso- 
lutely banished, is made naught, is made good 
for nothing, as the Greek reads in another 
Scripture, which we have translated, "abol- 
ished death." Fcr us Christ has made death as 
if it had never existed. For unbelievers death 
is dreadful, but for us there is not the slightest 
thing in death to dread, not the slightest thing 
to trouble us, or to cause us a single fear. 

"But manv Christians fear death." Well, 
they ought not to fear it. All who are in 
Christ ought to look upon what is called death 
(using the common phraseology and meaning 
the death of the body), we ought to look upon 
this with the greatest delight. What is death 
to you and to me ! " I go to prepare a place for 
you (it is our Lord who speaks). And if I go 
and prepare a place for you, I will come again, 



42 " Blessed are They that Mourn" 



and receive you unto Myself ; that where I am, 
there ye may be also." Now, is the coming of 
the Lord Jesus to take me unto Himself, to take 
me unto His own eternal home to dwell there 
with Him forever — is this a thing for me to fear ? 
Is it not something for me to hail with delight ? 
Ought I not to look forward to it as the great- 
est joy in existence ? If I am found dreading 
death, I am showing myself a coward, and I am 
insulting mv Lord. Death to me should be a 
thing longed for. The thought of death should 
be to me an ecstasy of joy. 

" But the pain attending death makes me 
shrink from it." I can say this in answer to 
such an objection. Every one of us, no doubt, 
has suffered from disease a bodily pain ten 
times more severe than we shall feel in dying. 

I have been by a hundred death -beds, and 
in all death was easv. A disease of three or 
four days, from which one recovers, often 
causes far more pain than the departure of the 
soul from the body. The sting of death is gone 
for us. Our sins have been blotted out. No 
condemnation is written against us ; the law 
has no punishment recorded against us. There 
is nothing in our way. Why should we not re- 
joice and give thanks when we see death ap- 
proaching ? 

Note one thing stated here about the body. 
"This corruptible shall put on incorruption, 
and this mortal shall put on immortality." In 



" Blessed are They that Mourn." 43 



the Second Epistle to the Corinthians, fifth 
chapter, we read this, " Not that we would be 
unclothed, but clothed upon." In one sense 
my present body is not to be raised. If it were 
raised it would be a corruptible body, but I am 
to put on an incorruptible body. My identity 
is to be preserved in some way. I don't know 
how, but God knows. I know this much. I 
know that there is not an atom in my body to- 
day that was there thirty years ago, and I know 
that my identity has not altered in the least 
during these thirty years. The power of God 
raises the body from the grave, not man's in- 
vention, and in some way the identity is re- 
tained, though not a particle of the body is the 
same. It is the same body, and not the same. 
It is the body corruptible made incorruptible, 
made like unto the glorious body of our Lord. 
You know how the apostle represents this in 
figure. The seed is sown and springs up ac- 
cording to the kind sown, and yet in one sense 
the seed sown dies before the fruit can come 
forth. It is the same and not the same. 

I think there is more than this. I think we 
are right in thinking that we shall never be 
without a body. As soon as this earthly taber- 
nacle be dissolved we have (not " shall have 
after a long period " of waiting) a house not 
made with hands, eternal, in the heavens. In 
some way we cannot now tell we shall have a 
body before our present body is raised from the 



44 " Blessed are They that Mourn" 



grave to be forever joined to the soul. We shall 
never be found naked, never be without a body. 
That we cannot understand the method does 
not trouble us. We know in whom w r e have be- 
lieved ; we know that He has almighty power 
and almighty wisdom ; and we know that we 
are safe, body and soul, in Jesus Christ. 

Ought we not to chant pseans of victory every 
day ? If we would think less about our present 
condition and more about our future glory 
would we not be daily singing the triumph-song, 
" O death, where is thy sting ? O hades, where 
is thy victory ? Thanks be to God who giveth us 
the victory through our Lord and Saviour Jesus 
Christ ? " And then with our eyes fixed on our 
heavenly home and our hearts full of longing 
for its holiness and for the companionship of 
our dear Lord, would not our cry also be, 
" Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly ? " All that 
is sweet, all that is lovely here on earth shall be 
ours there, and He shall be the centre of all. 
Without one regret, without one sorrow, with 
rajDturous joy, we should run to meet, not 
death, but our dear Lord. 

This is our privilege. We Christians have 
nothing to do with the world's thoughts and 
feelings about death. We parted company 
with the world when w 7 e began to walk in the 
ways of righteousness. We breathe a different 
atmosphere from the world ; we have learned 
some things the world cannot know. Why 



'Blessed are They that Mourn" 45 



should we go to the world's poets or the world's 
philosophers to get their ideas about death ? 
Let us rather go to the Bible and hear our 
Lord telling us that for us death is changed to 
victory. The world talks about looking down, 
about the pall, the coffin, the grave, the black- 
ness of death. We have nothing to do with 
such thoughts. To us, death means looking 
up, means brightness, joy, glory, Christ. Let 
us live up to our high privilege. 

Delivered March 11, 1891. 



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